The Gambia - The Gambia Electricity System Rehabilitation and Expansion Project (GESREP) (AFDB-P-GM-FA0-004)

Regions
  • Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Gambia
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Greater Banjul Area
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • African Development Bank (AFDB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Approved
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
B
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jul 14, 2023
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Government of Gambia
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Infrastructure
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Grant
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 19.93 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Grant Amount (USD)
$ 19.93 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 22.12 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ AFDB website

Updated in EWS Jan 23, 2024


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Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

As stated by the AFDB, the Gambia Electricity Grid Rehabilitation and Extension Project (GESREP) aims to improve access to electricity and ensure reliability of electricity supply. The project will provide last-mile connection equipment, including prepaid meters, and allow poor households to connect and manage their own consumption without the risk of physical disconnection that could occur due to unpaid monthly bills. Strengthening the distribution network under the proposed project will increase productivity, stimulate economic growth and contribute to The Gambia's efforts to achieve universal access to electricity. The project will also contribute to strengthening the capacity of the National Electricity and Water Company (NAWEC) in the operation and maintenance of electrical installations. The proposed project finances three main components: firstly, it will finance the construction of two new 33/11kV substations, the upgrading, rehabilitation and reinforcement of two 33/11kV substations; the rehabilitation and upgrading of low voltage distribution lines (140km) as well as the installation of 10 compact 11/0.4kV substations and 100 distribution transformers in the Banjul metropolitan area.

The overall sectoral objective of the project is to increase access to the electricity network in The Gambia. Its specific objectives are: i) to provide the population with reliable, low-carbon electricity, ii) to increase NAWEC's billing and revenue collection capacity, iii) to strengthen institutions and iv) to ensure the efficient operation and maintenance of electrical installations.

Overall, the project is expected to benefit around 100,000 people, 65% of whom will be women and children. Small and medium-sized enterprises, public institutions (local governments, primary and secondary schools and health centres) in the Greater Banjul Area will benefit from the project. The overall beneficiaries are current and future electricity consumers, including grid-connected households as well as businesses, public institutions (local government, primary and secondary schools, universities and health clinics) that will benefit from improved electricity services. The beneficiaries are households connected to the grid, particularly women, whose household chores will be reduced.

Early Warning System Project Analysis
For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

According to the AFDB, the environmental and social risk of the project is "Category 2".

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

As stated on the company's website, National Water And Electricity Co.Ltd (NAWEC) was established in June 1996 under the Companies Act of 1955 as a Public Limited liability Company. NAWEC is engaged in the generation and provision of electricity, water and sewerage services for domestic, public and industrial purposes. NAWEC succeeded the Gambia Utilities Corporation (GUC), which was established by an act of parliament in 1972 and the Utilities Holding Corporation (UHC), which was established by Presidential Executive Order in 1992. UHC entered into a leasing contract with SOGEA which formed a company, Management Services Gambia Limited to operate and manage the assets profitably. This arrangement was terminated in February 1995, leaving UHC with the management responsibility of the assets.

NAWEC is mandated for the provision of electricity, water and sewerage service in The Gambia.

Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
- - - - National Water and Energy Company - The Gambia Contractor Energy

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

AFDB Team Leader:

Emmanuel Maniragaba
Email: e.maniragaba@afdb.org

Borrower - Ministry of Petroleum and Energy:

Phone: (+220) 8805395
Email: info@mope.gov.gm
Website: https://www.mope.gm/

Implementing Agency - National Water and Electricity Company:

Website: https://nawec.gm/

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/request-for-documents. Under the AfDBÕs Disclosure and Access to Information policy, if you feel the Bank has omitted to publish information or your request for information is unreasonably denied, you can file an appeal at https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/appeals-process.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/

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How it works